Archive for July, 2008

1. Water turned to blood. The Nile River was sacred to the god Osiris, who job it was to bring life out of death. With the Nile turning into blood this 1st plague brought death rather than life.

2. The plague of frogs. The 2nd plague was against the ugly frog-headed goddess, Heka or Heqet, symbol of good crops (derived from the Nile waters) and childbirth, as well as Isis, another fertility goddess. When the frogs descended upon Egypt they went into the food supply, beds, clothing, everyplace. However, these goddesses were powerless to prevent these symbols of life from becoming rotting piles of death. The Egyptians could not kill them because they were sacred. Interestingly, the Egyptian magicians mimicked the plagues of blood and frogs with their enchantments (Exodus 7:22; 8:7). These could have been simulations, but more likely were demonic miracles, as miracles are evidence of supernatural power, not just of God’s power. God allowed the magicians to add to these two plagues, but not to reverse them!

3. The plague of lice. The earth-god Geb was worshiped by Egypt. Lice became as many as the sand on the ground. The 3rd plague, of lice (or gnats or mosquitoes) from the dust of the earth, confronted all the gods of the earth (e.g. Akhor). This and the 4th plague, of flies, confronted another favorite, Khepri, the scarab (dung beetle) god. A plague of flies shows failure of the dung beetle god to do its job of burying the dung, which stops flies from breeding in the dung. This god was also associated with rolling the sun across the sky, like dung beetles rolling balls of dung.

4. The plague of flies. Actually, the flies may have been beetles, for beetles were sacred to the beetle- god, Khepara and to the sun-god, Ra. The beetle, or scarab is prolific in Egyptian tombs, and represented eternal life to the people.

5. The plague of murrain. Murrain was a disease that affected cattle, so the 5th plague was against the black bull, Apis, and Mnevis, a bull-god symbol of fertility, as well as Hathor, the cow-like mother goddess, that the Egyptians worshiped. Now murrain, was apparently a disease common to the Egyptian period of time, because no cattle disease today seems to be related to it. However, it is thought by some that murrain is similar to anthrax.

6. The plague of boils. This plague was a judgment of the religion of Egypt in general, because it affected the priests. The priests were not allowed in the temple unless they were healthy. With this 6th plague there was no one to serve any of the gods.

7. The plague of hail. The 7th plague was against Nut the sky goddess and made her powerless.

8.The plague of locusts. The 8th plague was against the insect god Khepri. No crops.

9. The plague of darkness. The 9th plague darkness was against the sun-god, Ra.

10. And the tenth plague was the death of the first born. Egyptian belief demanded that the first born of any household or stable belonged to Egypt. The Israelites having been warned, applied blood to their door posts, so the death angel passed by all the homes of those who followed the instruction.

Did God Cause The Ten Plagues?

No, according to Greta Hort, whose natural-cause-and-effect theory of first published in 1957–58. In 2003, Hort’s ideas was subjected to independent scientific scrutiny by Brad Sparks. Here’s the highlights of Hort’s theory:

1. Water turned to blood. Thought to be caused by a exorbitant amount of red algae and red earth from the Abyssinian plateau after some heavy rains. Fish allegedly died due to the algae de-oxygenating the Nile, and supposedly caused the anthrax bacteria.

2. Plague of frogs. Now the frogs theoretically got sick and left the river just to succumb to the bacteria.

3.Plague of lice. Or mosquitoes, she hypothesized the insects bred in the floodwaters.

4. Plague of flies.Stomoxys calcitrans, or the biting fly, bred in the supposed decaying plants.

5. Plague of murrain. Ostensibly anthrax which was believed to be proliferated by the dead frogs.

6. Plague of boils. Affected the skin of Man and animals, and may have been proliferated by the flies bite.

7.Plague of hail. Relegated to a coincidence.

8. Plague of locust. Purportedly stirred up because of the hail.

9. Plague of darkness. Considered the result of a sandstorm known as a khamsin; used no. 1’s red earth.

10. Death of the first born. Translated to be the destruction of the ‘first-fruits’ of the harvest.

Fatal flaws in Hort’s theory

11.Her algae – In over 100 years of research, scientists have not found either species of algae (Haematococcus pluvialis and Euglena sanguinea) in the 400 species of algae found in the Nile, nor even in the 1,000 species known to occur in East Africa. These two algae are normally green – not red. Used as “industrial indicators” of snow and ice water temperatures, they are known as ‘rare and fragile ice water species that thrive in sub-arctic cold climates’. They DO NOT cause a Harmful Algal Bloom (or HAB), nor do they taint our drinking water. In fact, these algae are a food supplement for Man and animal.

12.The fish – Again, these two benign algae does not cause anoxia (de-oxygenation), which only happens after an algal bloom, and this can’t occur in turbid waters. Blood, not algae, killed the fish.

13.Her red mud – The mud of the Nile is brown. Remember, the algae is green; water is not just colored.

Though God work through His creation (Natural Laws), He foretells and localizes these plagues. For examples, read Exo. 10:13, 19. Naturalist can’t explain how if Man came from apes, why are apes still here? These naturalist (Hort and others) who try to explain the plagues as a ‘logical and connected sequence of natural phenomena’ lose sight of an Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omni-present God!

Do you believe that nature is infinite? Scientist claim that the universe is only 13.9-20 billion years old, so whatever existed prior to its creation would have to be supernatural! Do you think that an explosion sent Earth to the precise distance from the Sun which prevents death of its population by freezing, or burning, happened by chance? Did you know that our death would occur if we were too close or too far by just 5%!

Why is it easier to believe that Creation came about by a fluke than by a Creator? Maybe we want “freedom” from having to follow some moralistic code and, like Cain, we are more interested in establishing ourselves as the focus of this life. We have eyes, but we can’t see the ‘end’! Now while he did erect a city and advanced the arts, metallurgy, and music, etc., please note how THIS NATURAL SCIENTIST’S genealogy ended in Gen. 5!

Exo. 6:9And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. 10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 11 Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 12 And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips? 13 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

“Do I believe in god? do I believe in me? let me tell ya…Some people wanna die so they can be free
(I said) life is just a game, were all just the same…don’t ya wanna play? Controversy, controversy, controversy, controversy(Prince – 1981).”

I must admit that when this song first hit the airwaves I had no clue what it was about; I was “…just listening to the beat (from gospel rapper K-Nine)!” Now as I view these lyrics, they signify the yearnings of a young man who just want to fulfill his destiny without reproach from society. He sees his role in life as a musician, uniquely endowed with the ability to bring joy – to the world! However, he is keenly aware that there are some people who are more concerned about where to fit him demographically than his genius.

Similarly, Moses and Aaron were charged by the LORD to tell Pharaoh to “let the children of Israel go” in the KEY SCRIPTURE, but the Israelites and the king were more apt to tell the two brothers where to go. Without the backing of the people (“…they hearkened not…”), it’s possible that Moses felt he could not negotiate with the king, and thus had “uncircumcised lips”. Like Moses, Paul was a flawed speaker and needed God’s power to be convincing (I Cor. 2:1-5). However, after having witnessed the power of God (Burning Bush, the rod), Moses knew to “…walk worthy of the vocation…(Eph. 4:1)” that he was called to!

The brothers soon came to realize that they had become controversial figures! However, Rom. 8:31 asks “what shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” Additionally Eph. 6:13 states “wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” There are times in all of our lives when we must oppose forces which attempt to influence us. If this pave the way for others to enjoy God’s blessing of providence, salvation, and/or deliverance then our stance is likely to be heroic. Conversely, if our opposition is just self-serving at the expense of someone’s blessing, then our stance is likely to be tyrannical (Psa. 1:1; Act. 19:15).

Controversies are usually born out of some kind of dichotomy, and may compel us to make critical decisions based on our Righteousness vs. Rights(Rom. 5:19, Prv. 11:19; Prv. 28:26; Psa. 14:1, 53:1; Mat. 19:16-17). Righteousness dictates that we follow God’s view in any situation, while our rights mirror our myopic* mindset. To be solely concerned with our own rights disables us from being the kings/priests that God wants to promote us to, and obliterates the greater blessing God wants to bestow on us Isa. 1:19, Eze. 39)!

In summation, God allows controversies into our lives so that we can learn to rely on Him alone, which empowers us to overcome trials, ameliorate our judgment, and to avoid His judgment (Prv. 16:25).

Exodus 6:1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. 2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: 3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

Ever wonder how many professional ballplayers has gone on to other teams where they became great? Were you considered such a ‘black sheep’ that when people from your past come around, you justifiably ask, “how ya like me now?” Remember when buying a product tagged “Made in China” made you a victim of derision. Surely you realize that many of the popular items we enjoy today either wholly or in part come from China. These are all examples of how sometimes it takes timefor greatness to be revealed!

One evening, I happened to catch a boxing match that initially seemed like a gross mismatch. It was scheduled to last for eight rounds, and for the first two rounds the one opponent relentlessly battered the smaller guy. The only really interesting drama was to see how confused the commentators were about what strategy the losing boxer should employed!

Then suddenly, as if taking a page from one of the several “Rocky Balboa” scripts, the little guy started to show more offense in the third round. Now in the fourth round this fight, which didn’t look as if it would go the distance, came to an abrupt end! However the bigger fighter, who was also an Olympian, was the unfortunate victim of a shift in momentum.

This contest was truly a tale of two halves, to use a basketball analogy. All of the punches thrown by the smaller combatant which appeared ineffective earlier are now taking a heavy toll on a seemingly formidable foe. How much? So much so that the little guy actually TKO’d the Olympian with just one second left in the round! A fight that didn’t look as if it would last long ended with the projected loser scoring an incredible victory!

The amazing thing about this smaller fighter was the fact that all his victories came by knock out. The victorious boxer emulated God on a human level; at first he seemed weak, barely mustering up a strong enough defense. As it turned out, however, he was actually just letting the bigger man take his best shot before mounting his own awesome attack! In fact, this “creampuff” got stronger as the fight got longer.

The revelation of God’s name is incremental as evident in His names, El, Elohim (plural – the Creator) , Shaddai (The Almighty – restores Abraham), Adonai (Lord, Master – ate with Abraham), Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh (I am that I am – called Moses), YHWH (Self-Existent Deliverer, Savior), Zebaot (Lord of Hosts – commands angels of Heaven, and every earthly creature). The KEY SCRIPTURE informs us that YHWH is now being revealed during the time of Moses, and He is about to score a come from behind victory!

My friends, whenever you think you’re down for the count remember, “… they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isa. 40:31).” HALLELUJAH!Pass this message on. Amen.

Exodus 6:4And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered My covenant. 6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: 7 And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.

“I will redeem you with a stretched out arm…” is a pronouncement made in the KEY SCRIPTURE by God to assure the Israelites that He would restore, redress, and save them! Also, He informs Moses of the covenant to “give them the land of Canaan…” which is certainly an act of restoration. Additionally, to redress them He promised to “rid you out of their bondage…” which would rectify the intolerable condition they were burdened with. God wants to save these Hebrew slaves for His glorious purpose, which entails having a people to demonstrate His providence and, in turn, entice the other nations to seek Him!

If you’ve ingested a deadly poison, wouldn’t you want to locate the antidote? Imagine how important a lighthouse is to sailors navigating the sea at night. When engrossed in a life-threatening situation, isn’t it reasonable to assume that we would desire assistance promptly? Then we can extrapolate that God is now making His name Jehovah known to Moses so that the world know who to turn to for redemption. While people had heard of Jehovah, they hadn’t witness the greatness of His power, and in that sense they didn’t know Him. By crushing the mighty Egyptian Empire, the LORD will be recognized as the True God!

Unfortunately there are people today who still obfuscate the reality of the great I Am!Most folks are too overly concerned about fulfilling finitudinal needs, so focusing on an eternal God is an imposition. He wants to lead us to “the land of milk and honey (Exo. 3:8)”even today, however some people rebel and try to dissuade others! This act of subterfuge is abominable as it hides their intent to be the standard, which takes which out of position for redemption (Isa. 14:12-24; Mat. 12:31).In other words, they don’t want to acknowledge God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as that would relinquish them of their earthly “glory“!

“As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport (Prv. 26:19)?” Spiritual immaturity attempts to slyly blind you of the truth of God’s Will, embodied in Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, and can be unforgivable!. Therefore, trust the Holy Spirit because He leads us to Christ who redeemed us to God (Rom. 8:14; I Cor. 15:24).

Exo. 5:22 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, LORD, wherefore hast Thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that Thou hast sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all.

One day, a mouse saw a lioncaught in a hunter’s net begging anyone to free him. When the lion spotted him, he made a frantic plea to the wary mouse. After being assured of his safety, the mouse gnawed through the ropes and freed the ever grateful lion. A week later the mouse found himself threatened by a hyena who sought to devour him. Remembering the instructions given by the lion, the mouse began to whistle for help. Upon hearing this, the faithful lion rescued the mouse, and made a meal of the hyena. Is God as faithful?

From the beginning, Man has always had a problem trusting in, and obeying God! Starting with Adam who ate of the “Forbidden Fruit” (Eze. 2:8-10; Jer. 15:16; Rev. 10:9) to Noah, to the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), total surrender has proved to be too much. Moses now find himself having to either succumb to the circumstance, or to continue on in God’s Word. Has your faith ever been tested?

The story of everyone’s test of faith is not as well documented as in the case of Moses, who some believe wrote the Torah (the Bible’s first five books). However, the documentary hypothesis (DH) formulated by Julius Wellhausen (1844 – 1918) suggests that it was written by a combination of documents from four originally independent sources including: the J, or Jahwist, source; written c. 950 BC in the southern kingdom of Judah; the E, or Elohist, source; written c. 850 BC in the northern kingdom of Israel; the D, or Deuteronomist, source; written c. 621 BC in Jerusalem during a period of religious reform; and the P, or Priestly, source; written c. 450 BC by Aaronid priests.

Whether or not the Torah (Pentateuch or Chumash) is written by Moses or DH we must realize that he probably felt like that mouse. Having been adversarialized* by some of his countrymen, he now has to trust a lightly regarded Deity or fold in to Pharaoh! QUESTION: who do you listen to?

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understoodas a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things (I Cor. 13:11).”As a youngster playing basketball, I once went up for a shot but failed to take that shot because a defender was in position to block the shot. To my embarrassment the opponent didn’t even attempt to defend the shot, and I miss the “shot” at attaining a possible victory! “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind(II Tim. 1:7).”

In another illustration, we may immaturely not listen to our coach and blow a huge lead due to our arrogance. Oftentimes people are arrogant because they do not want to develop endurance, which requires maturity, and that requires eschewing* obsolete attitudes. Instead, they try to maintain these attitudes as if they’re advantageous, however, they miss out in acquiring better coping skills because of their insecurities!

While it’s understandable that Pharaoh may be afraid of losing his workforce, and arrogance is the only way that he knows how to deal with this prospect, we as believers ought not to let the arrogant “Pharaohs” in our lives punk us. THEREIN LIES OUR TESTIMONIES! Remember, persevere in your assignment, and don’t get punk’d out of your shot at victory!

Exo. 5:19 (NIV): The Israelite foreman realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” 20 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them 21 and they said, “May the LORD look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

Do you remember the Julia Roberts’ movie titled ”Sleeping With The Enemy”? This picture illustrated how, sometimes, the people who are closest to us are the most detrimental. How ironic that she ends up “sleeping with the enemy” after initially falling in love with, and desiring him as, her “hero”. The “enemy” represents a strong desire that has outgrown its ability to lead or help us to our destiny!

In the movie “Dream Girls”, John Lithgow asks Beyonce, “say we do get in bed with you…will Curtis even let you do it? ” She and Jamie Foxx were deeply in love, until she became more ambitious for her dreams of being a movie star. After Jamie had helped her and her girls to unparallel success in the music world, she soon saw him becoming the enemy! She later told him that she was “…looking for a new sound, baby” because she had to listen to her inner voice – not the voice “you thought you gave to me!” she said in song.

“May the LORD look upon you and judge you!”These were the words uttered by fellow countrymen of Moses and Aaron in the KEY SCRIPTURE, whose glorious vision was seen as problematic by the foremen. God motivated the two brothers to deliver the Israelites, who are reluctant because they’d rather be bedded by a tyrant than to prepare for the Creator’s Exodus. These foremen symbolizes Cain-like people who put more faith in the natural than the supernatural! “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell(Mat. 10:28).”

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (Jhn. 10:10)” depicts the goal of – the enemy! “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices (II Cor. 2:11)” which includes (1) deception, (2) temptation, (3) chaos, (4) ineptitude, (5) scorn, (6) vexation, and (7) rebellion (Rev. 21:8).

“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, andhe shall be my son (Rev. 21:7).” Just like in the case of Moses and Aaron, God is preparing us to free ourselves and others from spiritual bondage! “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief(Prv. 24:16).” He wants us to be stronger, wiser, and better! How?! By overcoming: (1) disobedience, (2) irresponsibility, (3) anarchy, (4) idolatry, (5) irreverence, (6) traditionalism, and (7) materialism!

So, to gain our spiritual inheritance, we must “walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful (Psa. 1:1).” The two brothers could not allow themselves to “sleep with the enemy” by letting their desire for the Lord’s deliverance wane, or the fate of their nation would suffer. We today must realize that “…the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence (passion), and the violent (passionate) take it by force(Mat. 11:12; Rev. 2:14-16)!”

Exo. 5:14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore? 15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? 16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. 17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD. 18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.

Isn’t it wonderful to live in an age with the religious freedom to live your idea of holiness? Remember when being a Christian could result in being eaten by lions? Even in today’s world one may be harshly persecuted for professing a belief in Jesus of Nazareth. Imagine living in a society at a time when the awareness of Yahweh was non-existent, then realize there was a time when the belief in the atom was nil in this society!

From the beginning, the big controversy has been about making the decision to obey an invisible God. Of course, we could just simply decide that reality is intrinsically perceivable, calculable, i.e. tangible. Adam decided to eat of the “forbidden fruit” from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil in opposition to the commandment of God (Gen. 3:6; Gal. 5:19-21). This caused Adam, who was created “good” and in unanimity (or oneness) with God, to produce children filled with dualism (Rom. 7:14-25)! So, even today we struggle with the choice of pleasing God or engaging in a decadent belief in materialism.

Real leadership has the capability of bringing out the best in us, however we must know the difference between Gentile and Christian leadership (Mat. 5, 20:20-28, 23). Note how Jesus deals with the general public (“they”), and those who are either striving to or having attained leadership (“ye”, “you”). Apparently, He expects real leaders to have humility/servility in order to glorify His name (Psa. 75:6; Rom. 6:16)! Note also the implied leadership/dedication (“some 100 fold, some 60, some 30”) in The Sower Parable (Mat. 13:1-23).

“Officers of the Children of Israel” is a representation of a false promotion with no respect as seen in the KEY SCRIPTURE. This type of promotion is nothing more than a lateral movement, and only affords us an abundance of vanity. However, it does NOT prevent attacks (verbal, psychological, or physical) whenever pseudo-leadership feels it’s warranted. According to Pharaoh, these “officers” are slackers because they wanted to worship an invisible God as opposed to slaving for him (“ye are idle…”; Mat. 16:26).

Real leadership leads its constituents to real promotion, which is the result of God’s grace and humility! Note the humility of Jesus to the Father (Jhn. 17:3), the Holy Spirit to Jesus (Jhn. 16:7), Man to the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:14), Woman to Man (I Pet. 2:23-3:7), and children to parents (Prv. 6:20). By showing the LORD the humility that we know He expects, He will give us “expected end” (Jer. 29:11; Prv. 16:7). God not only wants us to have an earthly crown, but a Heavenly one as well (I Cor. 9:24-27)! Some people are waiting on “one day” to prepare for their crown, however God wants us to stop waiting on one day and start TODAY!

Exo. 5:10And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. 11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

A bunch of friends got together after work to go to a restaurant for an impromptu dinner. Everyone ordered what they wanted, and all the meals were priced about the same. Once the dinner was over all the diners put up an equal share of the bill, EXCEPT one guy who was, “a little short!” If it was just the one time, it might be understandable; however, at this point it appears to be a pattern with this fella. Just like Evil, he NEVER gives what is expected, NEVER reaches the standard, NEVER completes an assignment, not because he can’t, but because he hates order. Yet, he wants the same benefit as everyone else.

Hatefulness in others often identifies, and even focuses on our fine distinctive qualities! Though it certainly notices our shortcomings in order to vex us, hatefulness may pejoratively (scornfully) highlight our excellence in an attempt to make us feel inferior. This ridicule, of course, is intended to rob us of dignity and make us more receptive to being their puppet. When people are devalued, there is a reluctance to give them anything that’s treasured; there aren’t many who’re concern about the condition of their lives. BUT GOD, who is our Provider, Redeemer, and Deliverer most assuredly is!

Conversely, when you are anointed you have the ability to make brick with “stubble instead of straw”! Believers, you can “fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw“ (see KEY SCRIPTURE). God has always had a way of taking that which is not valued and creating something more glorious from it. He created Man from dust, Woman from a rib, and in Exodus God is on the verge of creating a theocratic* government ran by priests, of a people stripped of their humanity. They lived in an environment which treated them as if they were “stubble instead of straw”! Yet in short order they will become the shadow* of the “chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people…” found in I Pet. 2:9-10!

Jhn. 15:1“I am the true vine, and My Father is the Husbandman. 2Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” Overcoming situations enables God to develop character-building “fruits” in us (Gal. 5:22-23). He will also empower us to be more productive in many other areas of life (see Mat. 25:23). Our trust in Him actually positions us for spiritual wealth (Psa. 3).

We should endeavor to follow what Paul said in Php. 2:4 and “look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Then, just as the Jews had to find stubble to make brick, we will help each other find our true value by following the command of Jesus in Mat. 28:19 to “go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Amen.

Exo. 5:6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, 7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. 9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

Most of us know that one of the biggest ploys of the Devil is to keep us soo busy that we can not focus on the Source of our being! “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Mat. 4:4).” Why should we trust in Yahweh? Ponder the following.

Point # 1 – Working for “Bread”. By far, workers inSouth Koreahave the longestwork hours in the world. The average South Korean works 2,390 hours each year, according to the OECD. This is over 400 hours longer than the next longest-working country and 34% more hours than the average in the United States. A typical workweek in South Korea is 44 hours or longer. Most people start their day at 8am and end at around 7pm or later, often having dinner before returning to work.

Until legislation in 2004 that virtually abolished the six-day workweek in large corporations known as “jaebol“, South Korea was the only country in the OECD that worked Saturdays. Work hours in Japan are decreasing, but many Japanese still work long hours. Recently, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has issued a draft report recommending major changes to regulations that govern working hours. The centerpiece of the proposal is an exemption from overtime pay for white-collar workers. South Korea and Japan are the only countries where death by work or “karoshi” (과로사) is a recognized phenomenon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_time).

Point # 2 – Is there a “Mouth of God”? With the coming of the Atomic Age, beginning with the discovery of radium in 1898 by Madame Curie, came the knowledge that all radioactive elements continually give off radiation. Consider! Uranium has an atomic weight of 238.0. As it decomposes, it releases a helium atom three times. Each helium atom has a weight of 4. With the new weight of 226.0, uranium becomes radium. Radium continues to give off additional atoms until eventually the end product becomes the heavy inert element called lead. This takes a tremendous amount of time. While the process of uranium turning into radium is very long, the radium turns into lead in 1,590 years.

What are we saying? There was a point in time when the uranium could not have existed, because it always breaks down in a highly systematic, controlled way. It is not stable like lead or other elements. It breaks down. This means there was a specific moment in time when all radioactive elements came into existence. Remember, all of them—uranium, radium, thorium, radon, polonium, francium, protactinium and others—have not existed forever. This represents absolute proof that matter came into existence or, in other words, matter has not always existed (www.realtruth.org– click on Complete Archive).

Exo. 5:4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. 5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.

“I want you to know that I will not make age an issue in this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” (In response to a question during the second of the 1984 Presidential Debates against opposing candidate Walter Mondale.)

With questions about his age, and a weak performance in the first presidential debate, many wondered if he was up to the task of being president for another term. Reagan rebounded in the second debate, and confronted questions about his age with the above quote. He won a landslide victory (49 of 50 states) as Mondale carried only his home state of Minnesota (by 3800 votes) and the District of Columbia. By flipping the script,“The Gipper” won a record 525 electoral votes, the most so of any candidate in United States history, and received 58.8% of the popular vote to Mondale’s 40.6%.

Moses and Aaron are portryed as a couple of ne’er-do-wells. The king’s “script flipping” rhetoric seems to implicate the freedom-seeking brothers as the cause for social unrest among the Jews. This is reminiscent of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s, although then it was a case of a “king” (as in Martin Luther King) being implicated as a troublemaker by the establishment. It should be obvious that in both “king” situations, a racist society “flipped the script” to make it appear that the protagonists where lawless.

There have been times in history where restoring spiritual order required a movement that appeared anarchistic in nature. While this ideology is in opposition to Christianity, we must understand that to take a stand for the implementation of God’s perspective is justice! True anarchy involves taking a stand againt Him, and it tends to grow as the influence of the Church deteriorates. However, this condition was predicted 2,000 years ago in II Tim. 3.

“1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

However, spiritual order will be restored, so don’t flip out(I Cor. 15:20-24)! It begins when we “(Mat. 22:37) …love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” God’s people must keep God’s script – it can’t be flipped!